The Department of National Defense on Monday appealed to nations, whose warships pass through the West Philippine Sea and waters near the country, to exercise restraint as any imprudent behavior could lead to an international incident or conflict.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana made the appeal following the two incidents between US, China and Russian warships in the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea last October and earlier in June, respectively.
In the two incidents, warships of these nations got too close and nearly collided with each other.
Lorenzana said miscalculations between the captains of these warships might spark conflict in the region.
“So [to the nations those vessels are passing through these waters], tell their captains not to get too close to each other as there could be a miscalculation,” the DND chief said.
Meanwhile, a ranking official of the Chinese Embassy in Manila said that China-Philippines cooperation has been “greatly reinforced” in the past three years, as the two nations celebrate 18th Friendship Day.
“Since President Duterte took office in 2016, under the strategic guidance of our two leaders, China-Philippines relations have witnessed turnaround, consolidation, and elevation, and entered a new golden age,” said Embassy Chargé D’affaires a. i. Tan Qingsheng at the reception for the 121st Independence Day of the Philippines and the 18th China-Philippines Friendship Day.
“Our strategic coordination on bilateral and international affairs has been greatly reinforced,” he said.
Tan highlighted the milestones Beijing and Manila achieved over the past three years, such as the signing of cooperation documents.
President Rodrigo Duterte and President Xi Jinping have already met seven times, with more than 20 agreements inked during the latter’s visit in the Philippines last year.
“[This] elevated our bilateral relationship to comprehensive strategic cooperation,” Tan said.
Over the past three years, the series of dialogue and consultation mechanisms have also been revitalized, such as in foreign affairs, defense, energy, economy, and trade consultations, the envoy said.
“Our cooperation in various fields has generated tangible benefits for our peoples. In 2018, bilateral trade volume reached USD55.7 billion, with an 8.5-percent year-on-year increase,” he said.
“China is now the Philippines’ top trading partner, the largest source
of imports and the fourth largest export market,” he said, noting that
China will continue its cooperation with the Philippines.
